Halloween Repeats…but with a twist!

So I’m still less than 2 weeks past Halloween, so technically I’m not that late yet.  And even though these are a few repeat recipes, they are just so darn good and pretty looking that I had to share.  The cupcakes do have a slight twist, but the pie does not.  I was just so proud of my repeat Dutch Apple Pie since I picked the apples myself at the orchard last week, so this pie is truly Farm to Table.  You can just call me Kate Gosselin…not because of the fem-mullet or divorced from a crazy husband thing…more along the lines of she’s all into the organic, natural produce thing. 

And now for my twisted cupcakes…no, these aren’t pumpkin cupcakes (although that would be heavenly)…I present to you, Orange Velvet Cupcakes in honor of Halloween!  Yes, they are complete with my favorite, Crack Icing…also known as Cream Cheese Frosting.  I simply just added 1/2 bottle of Yellow Food Coloring with 1/2 bottle of Red Food Coloring to the mix.  I’m already scheming up Green Velvet for St. Patty’s, Blue Velvet for Fourth of July…I mean, who said Red Velvet had to be Red?!  Still delicious no matter what color it is. 

Lastly, because it’s an annual blog tradition, I present to you my 2009 pumpkin.  Baby Mak has a thing for sour, fruity candy, so yes, that’s what I looked like if those darn trick-or-treaters didn’t choose wisely from our candy cauldron. 

His and Hers Pies.

I love pie.  Pie could possibly be the perfect food.  Buttery, crumbly crust filled with delicious fruity, creamy, chocolately, and/or nutty fillings.  There are a few pies I despise though and somehow I married a man who loves the very pies that make me want to hurl.  That list includes: “Stinking” Cherry Pie, Key Lime Pie, and Raspberry Pie.  I’ve already done my part to make him a Cherry Pie, so I decided I would just combine the last two flavors since I don’t really like wasting time and energy on yucky pies.  Surprisingly, my husband loved my Key Lime Raspberry Pie creation, so I don’t feel bad at all for my 2 for 1 pie trick.  I’ve never even ventured to taste this pie, but he would describe it as the perfect balance of both tart and sweet flavors.  It also proved to be quite a hit for other Key Lime and Raspberry Pie lovers.  I’ll just stick with the delicious “Hers” pie below and leave my husband and his strange taste buds to enjoy this strange green pie.  I would never trust a green pie. 

 

Key Lime Raspberry Pie, aka “His” Pie

• 8 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups key lime juice
• Zest from 1 lime
• 1/4 cup fresh raspberry preserves
• 1 (10 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
   

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix well.
2. Pour into unbaked graham cracker shell. Warm the raspberry preserves in a pastry bag for 15-20 seconds in the microwave.  Pipe on top of pie and swirl with knife.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before chilling in the fridge until serving time. Top with whipped topping and garnish with lime slices and fresh raspberries.

 

 

Now, I’ve saved the best for last…Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.  Pecan Pie is pretty sinful all by itself, but adding Chocolate and Bourbon to anything makes it better in my book.  This pie is very rich and sweet, so it’s a perfect “chick” pie.  Ladies love anything super sweet and chocolately.  I like it best when it’s served slightly warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream…so I thank you mister pie a’la mode inventor since I’m all about evening out those rich flavors with a cold, creamy treat. 

 

 

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, aka “Her” Pie

• 1 (9 inch) pie shell (see here for my favorite pie crust recipe)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp. bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans

 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a small saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl combine eggs, bourbon, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Slowly pour sugar mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Stir in pecans.
3. Place chocolate on bottom of pie shell.  Pour mixture into pie shell.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until set and golden. May be served warm or chilled. 

The post that needs no title. See below photo.

 

Even without a blog post in the past 8 weeks, I’ve still been busy in the kitchen.  Baking up a “bun in the oven”, that is.  That’s right, I’m pregnant!  So I actually do have a good excuse for not staying on top of my blog posts…it’s called morning sickness and the morning part actually means all friggin day long.  I’ve barely been able to heat up a microwavable dinner for Gus (due to the smell of just about anything…I have the nose of a nauseous bloodhound these days), let alone cook an actual meal in the kitchen since early August.  I certainly miss cooking, but I miss eating even more.  Pregnancy does really weird things to your appetite, so my meals of choice change on a daily basis.  Lately I’ve survived on bananas, bran cereal, edamame, peanut butter sandwiches, cheese, and lemons.  Lots and lots of lemons.  I have a thing for sour stuff… so this leads me to believe that I’ll be popping out a Sour Patch Baby sometime in April.  And I’m certain my little Sour Patch Baby is a vegetarian since protein of any animal nature disgusts me.  I’m slowly coming around though and am looking forward to getting back to my regularly scheduled meat eating.

No fear on the blog though…I’m here to stay and luckily have a few saved up recipes from our last few weeks in Chicago to share.  We got so busy with the goodbye parties and packing that I saved up a few dishes and thankfully I can put them to good use now until this baby decides to let me back in the kitchen again.  And in honor of our little bun, I have a delish Cinnamon Bun recipe to share.  Homemade breads always seem to intimidate people, but in reality, there’s very little you can screw up.  You pretty much throw the dough together and let it “rest”…aka, sit in the corner of your kitchen while you watch the Tori and Dean marathon…see, baking bread ain’t so hard.  The dough base can be used as is for simple dinner rolls or just add some sweetness for these sinful breakfast treats.  A topping of cream cheese glaze puts an extra helping of sin on them and that may require a trip to confession upon consumption.  It’s well worth it though. 

 

Here is where the real sinning takes place…and if you know me, you know that I do not scrimp on the icing. 

 

Homemade Cinnamon Buns

Dough Ingredients: (warning..this makes a ton of dough, but it’s great to freeze and then roll out into Cinnamon Buns for breakfast if you have company over.  Overnight guests will be oh so impressed.)

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 9 cups flour
• 2 packages or 4.5 teaspoons of dry active yeast
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
• 1 scant teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons salt

Filling ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons cinnamon

Glaze Ingredients:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Splash of Milk (adjust to achieve the right glaze consistency…it should not be thick like frosting)

 

1. Pour milk into a stock pot and add sugar and vegetable oil.  Stir and turn burner on medium to medium low to scald the mixture (just before boiling). 
2. Before it boils, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.  Once it’s cooled, add 4 cups of flour and 2 packages of yeast. 
3. Stir together to incorporate yeast, then add another 4 cups of flour.  Stir together and allow to sit, covered with a lid for an hour in a warm environment. 
4. Once it has poofed up, add 1 cup of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Stir together or knead slightly to combine ingredients.  Once it’s mixed, you can refrigerate it covered for up to 2 days.  Keep in mind, though, that the dough will continue to rise (though more slowly in the fridge) so you’ll have to occasionally punch it down if it overflows. Note: If you do refrigerate the dough, be sure to remove it from the fridge an hour or two before you need it.
5. Form a dough rectangle on a clean, floured surface.  Roll the dough thin while keeping the shape. 
6. Now brush on 1/2 cup of melted butter over dough.  Sprinkle white and brown sugar over the dough, followed by the cinnamon.  Starting at the end opposite you, roll the dough towards you as tightly as possible.  Pinch the seam to the roll to seal it. 
7. Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in cake pans and then cut the rolls in 1 inch slices.  Let the rolls rest for 20-30 minutes and then bake at 400 till lightly golden brown or 15 to 18 minutes. 
8. To make glaze: beat together all ingredients and pour over warm buns.  Enjoy!  (and say 1 Hail Mary afterwards).

A New Chapter…and it’s looking Pretty Peachy.

After almost 10 years spent living North of the Mason Dixon line, I am about to re-embrace my Southern pride.  That’s right, Gus and I are moving to Atlanta in about a weeks time!  In honor of this news, I just HAD to bake up a homemade, from scratch, peeled the peaches myself, Peach Cobbler.  Well, that and I took on the duty of hosting our own “hoedown” going-away party this past weekend (this is what happens when you’re the only one of your friends who knows how to cook shrimp n’ grits!), and what’s a hoedown without Peach Cobbler?!  The good news for my blog is that I am going to have a lot more time on my hands with my current state of joblessness in Atlanta, but I’m welcoming the break and an opportunity to get caught up since I have quite a few sinful Southern dishes to share.  We’ll be in transit for the next couple weeks, but I’m eager to get going in my new (and even bigger!) kitchen, so y’all better get excited for a taste of the South!

Back to the mascot of my new home…This cobbler recipe can be made with just about any fruit and the topping is the perfect marriage of golden brown crunchy-ness with soft, doughy goodness.  Plus, anything topped with cinnamon sugar is an automatic winner in my book.  The peach filling can be made with frozen or canned peaches, but now that I’m about to become a true Southern belle, I can only recommend using the fresh fruit from my new home state.   It was actually a lot easier than I thought to peel the peaches once I found a great cheat method in my America’s Test Kitchen cookbook…score the peaches with an X on top, drop in boiling water for 30 seconds, and the skin peels right off.  Easy as pie, or in this case, cobbler. 

 

 

Peach Cobbler

Fruit Filling

• 8 fresh peaches – peeled, pitted and sliced into large chunks
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tsp. cornstarch

Topping

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine peaches, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, vanilla, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 9×13 baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, white sugar,  brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.
3. Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden brown, or about 20 minutes.

My name isn’t Jack and I don’t have a bean stalk…but I do have some Magical Beans

Now that the weather is finally nice in Chicago, we’ve been grilling out on the deck a lot lately and one of my favorite summer side dishes is Baked Beans.  Sure, I’ll eat the kind straight out of the can…as long as it doesn’t have any of that mysterious meat disguised as “bacon” in it…but I prefer jazzing them up a bit and giving them that Southern-style Barbecue Baked Bean flair.  And something about these beans is pretty friggin magical…people LOVE them!  I was shocked, as I know they’re tasty, but it’s kinda strange when you invite people over for dinner and they RAVE about the beans?!  I mean, beans are great and all, but you would have thought I bought magic beans from the Fairy Godmother down the street for this recipe.  I’m almost embarrassed because it’s such an easy, nothing to it kinda recipe made with a bunch of canned beans…yet I’m 2 for 2 this summer on people just losing their minds over these beans!  It goes to show you that you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen on some fancy schmancy ooo lala dish, when all it takes is the right recipe and a couple cans of magical beans. 

 

 

Barbecue Baked Beans

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
• 1 (16 ounce) can great Northern beans, drained
• 2 (16 ounce) cans baked beans
• 1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup…no bottles of Aunt Jemima here! 
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings, chop into small pieces and set aside in a large bowl.
2. Cook the onion and garlic in the reserved drippings until onion is tender; drain excess grease and transfer to the bowl with the bacon.
3. To the bacon (only use about 3/4 of the bacon bits…save the rest for the top) and onions, add pinto beans, northern beans, baked beans, and kidney beans. Stir in ketchup, maple syrup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and black pepper. Mix well and transfer to a 9×12 inch casserole dish.  Top with remaining chopped bacon bits.
4. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
5. Take in all the multiple compliments you receive on your magical beans and don’t dare tell your guests how easy it was to throw together. 

An oldie but a goodie…and an unexpected newbie.

I’m a planner.  I love making plans and lists and routines….man, do I love a good ole routine!  You could say spontaneity is not really my friend.  Every once in awhile though, I get a little bit wild and crazy and veer from my usual plans.  My office was holding a charity bake sale and I had planned for about a week to make one of my favs…Black Bottom cake, aka, Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Chip Cheesecake filling.  I’ve made it for my coworkers before as cupcakes, so I figured I would play it safe and go with something I knew everyone liked.  Well, once I made the cake, it just didn’t seem like enough when I have a certain baking reputation in the office.  It was late at night and I wasn’t about to run out to the store, so to the pantry I went to see what I could scrounge up.  I found a box of graham crackers, chocolate chips, and marshmallow fluff…I may not be able to bring a bonfire to work, but I was going to figure out someway to bring the S’mores there.   A couple google searches later and I had a graham cracker cookie dough layered with warm milk chocolate and melty marshmallow fluff, all topped with another layer of graham cracker cookie dough to keep this treat as close to the real campfire sandwich as possible.   I was pleasantly surprised in my recipe spontaneity and even more surprised when my coworkers went bonkers over these simple and unplanned treats!  Don’t get me wrong, they usually love just about any baked good, but you would have thought I put some magic koolaid in these suckers with how much they were entranced by their goodness!  It certainly doesn’t take much to make them happy…although, I learned what doesn’t make them happy…when the boss buys my whole bundt cake before they could get their ravenous little hands on it.  It was certainly flattering though, so I will definitely be repeating that cake recipe yet again to keep the baked good peace in the office. 

 

 

 

S’mores Bars (no planning necessary)

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (if you’re embracing spontaneity like me, then you’ll have to use about 2 cups of milk chocolate chips since that’s all you could find in your pantry)
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.
4. Place chocolate bars over dough.  Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff (this is where having chocolate bars instead of chips comes in handy, but it all tastes the same in the end).
5. Roll out remaining dough to about 1/4 inch thick and places as a single layer on top of the fluff (if you care less about aesthetics then just flatten the dough into small shingles and lay them together on top…i’m a tad more OCD so rolling is how i roll).
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.  Instruct ravenous coworkers to nuke in the microwave for 15-20 seconds for that authentic melty campfire taste. 

 

And just for kicks, here’s a shoutout to that oldie but a goodie Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Chip Cheesecake filling…this time with a Cream Cheese Glaze…another office winner that bosses and coworkers will fight over.

World’s Best Meatloaf…thanks to Aunt Margaret!

Meatloaf is one of those foods that can be warm and comforting after a long day…or it can be a dry, tasteless brick of meat masked in ketchup…this my friends, is not the latter.  I’ve made a few meatloaf varieties in my day, and this one was definitely the moistest, most flavorful loaf of meat by far…and it’s all thanks to Gus’ Aunt Margaret!  My best friend, Niki, thought of one of the most original bridal shower gifts when I was getting married and gifted me with a recipe book filled with favorite recipes from our family and friends.  Sure, we’ve been married for going on two years and I still have pages of recipes to try out from that book, but I love making one and being able to report back to the author on how delicious it was!  Thankfully we haven’t had any duds yet…not that I would tell anyone anyways!  This meatloaf one is a guaranteed winner though…  especially when you pair it with my quick and easy Smashed Potatoes recipe.  It doesn’t get much more comforting than that…unless you happen to enjoy this dinner in flannel pajama pants like we did (elastic waistbands are a requirement for a meal like this). 

 

 

World’s Best Meatloaf, courtesy of Aunt Margaret

• 1 slice White Bread
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/8 tsp. Pepper
• 1/4 tsp. Sage
• 1/4 tsp. Dry Mustard
• 1/4 tsp. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire
• 1/4 cup Chili Sauce
• 1 lb. Ground Beef (or Ground Turkey if you’re in my house)

Topping

• 3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup Chili Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1 tsp. Dry Mustard

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Break the slice of white bread into small pieces and pour the milk over it. 
2. Mix the moistened bread with salt, pepper, sage, dry mustard, seasoned salt, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and chili sauce.  Add the ground meat to the mixture and mix well with your hands.  (be sure to remove your rings…no one likes meat bits in their bling)
3. Grease a loaf pan and pack the pan with the meatloaf mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 
4. Mix all topping ingredients together and drain the grease off the loaf before coating with the topping.  Bake for an additional 30 minutes.  Slice and serve with Smashed Potatoes below or some other comforting carb. 

 

Quick and Easy Smashed Potatoes

• 2 lbs Small Red Potatoes, halved
• 8 tbsp. Butter, melted
• 1 cup Heavy Cream, hot (if you’re really naughty…if you’re not so naughty then use Half & Half…if you’re angelic then use 2% milk)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 

1. Cover the potatoes by 1 inch of water in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until potatoes are fork tender. 
2. Drain the potatoes in a colander and wipe the saucepan dry.  Add the potatoes back to the pot and mash to a uniform consistency (slightly rough mash for this type of potatoes…not too much mashing or you’ll be eating a gummy mess).
3. Fold in the melted butter until just incorporated.  Fold in 3/4 cup of hot heavy cream, adding the remaining 1/4 cup as needed to achieve the best consistency.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Another weekend, another wedding.

Long time no blog…we’re back from our 3rd out of state wedding in 4 weeks, so at least I have a good excuse.  I love a good wedding though, so I’m not complaining…plus we’ve had the chance to eat a lot of yummy food during our weekend wedding adventures. 

To kick off our wedding season 2009, we headed to Nawlins and boy, did we get our grub on!  I even was able to document some of our Cajun delicacies.  We tried Chargrilled Oysters for the first time and were a little scared at first…after the first bite, we were wishing we had ordered a dozen!  We were literally licking those oyster shells when the waitress wasn’t looking…it could have had something to do with them dripping in butter, but I can’t be certain.  We also got our fill of seafood…I stuck with a Big Easy classic and enjoyed a Seafood Po’ Boy topped with Tabasco Aioli…and plenty of hush puppies since I can’t really find a good hush puppy in the state of Illinois.   Gus pretty much ate his weight in Fried Shrimp platters and couldn’t have been happier.  We ended the weekend with my birthday brunch at the famous Brennan’s, (courtesy of the new Mrs. Adam Whately! Thanks again dahling!) and decided it was pretty much customary to top our brunch off with table-side Bananas Foster.  We pretty much decided we love New Orleans and their delicious vittles after just 3 days. 

 

Next up was the beautiful, quaint town of Warrenton, Virginia.  We had the pleasure of staying at the most lovely B&B, the Black Horse Inn, where the wedding was also held.  We had some delicious gourmet breakfasts while enjoying our time as guests there, and the rest of the time, we definitely did partake in the local cuisine…CHICKFILA!  We had it twice.  In two days.  And it was amazing.  I miss many things about living in the South, but Chickfila dining is definitely at the top of that list.  Thanks to the newest Mr. and Mrs. David Gorski to a fabulous wedding weekend in Virginia and allowing us to indulge our favorite poultry filled craving! 

 

Lastly, was our trip just east of Chicago to the bustling city of Grand Rapids, Michigan for the wedding of my weenies-in-a-blanket loving brother-in-law, Christopher, to his beautiful bride, Stacie.  And how cute is this…they’re both lactose intolerant and enjoyed a special lactose free meal and wedding cake at their reception!  I never thought giving up cheese and popping lactaid pills could be so darn romantic.  I’d love to give you a run down on the delicious foods I enjoyed while in Grand Rapids, but sadly, I got the stomach flu just after the ceremony and I can only attest that the Amway Hotel has lightening fast room service when an emergency ginger ale and saltines are needed.  Stomach flu aside, the wedding went on without a hitch and at the end of the day, I gained a lovely new sister…and since I don’t have any wedding related food items to share, I’ll just take this opportunity to brag about how my new lovely sister can make a mean first communion cake.  Church steeple and all.  Sorry fellas, she’s officially taken! 

 

So now that 3 weddings are down (and 4 more to go for 2009!), I can get back to my regularly scheduled recipe blogging.  Next up, put on your elastic waistband pants and get excited for some comfort food!

Our Frugal French Toast Fate.

Eggs are a big weekend breakfast item in our house.  We’re pretty boring with breakfast during the week…fiber one for me and cheerios for my better half…but something about Saturday and Sunday mornings makes a “real” breakfast that much more tasty.  I never blog about our egg breakfasts because it’s not really a recipe to just scramble up some eggs and my egg photos always look like crap.  A couple weekends ago, I decided to switch things up and go the sweet route with our weekend breakfast by using those eggs to whip up some French Toast.  It’s not often we eat sweet breakfasts like french toast/pancakes/waffles, but it’s not because we don’t love them…it’s just usually a treat to eat something so dessert like as the first meal of the day, so we reserve it for special occasions.  And this special occasion happened to be that…well, let’s just say the stars just aligned in a French Toast like shape…eggs were on sale for .57 cents a dozen and I bought enough to make our condo look like a small chicken farm…plus, when you bought a gallon of milk, you could get a loaf Wonder Bread (the only type of bread that should ever be used for French Toast) for only .75 cents…so clearly the grocery store Gods were telling me to make French Toast.  I mean, I could whip up breakfast for less than .30 cents a serving!  Take that IHOP! 

Beyond the budget friendliness of this meal, I had been wanting to try a new method and recipe for French Toast.  I received a fabulous cookbook as a gift from one of Gus’ friends (kudos to a non-cooking 28 year old man for picking out such a great gift!), and if you’re ever going to buy one cookbook, this is the one: America’s Test Kitchen.  The recipes have been thoroughly tried and tested, with great technique tips and pictures to help you along the way.  One of my pet peeves is soggy in the middle French Toast and ATK’s recipe claimed to have the solution to my problem.   The result?  A rich, custard like, cinnamoney, crisp French Toast with no soggy grossness in sight.  So after you make this delicious breakfast, run out and buy the ATK cookbook and you’ll thank me for meals to come.  I promise that ATK isn’t paying me for this cookbook plug…but if you’re reading this Mr. ATK Public Relations Department, have your people call my people and we’d be happy to work something out. 

 

 

Perfect, Soggy-free French Toast

• 8 slices Wonder Bread (except no substitutes)
• 5 tbsp. Butter
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tbsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (mwahaha…the secret ingredient to prevent gross sogginess!)

 

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Arrange the bread on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes.
2. While the bread is in the oven, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and whisk it with the milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour the batter into a shallow dish large enough to hold 2 slices of bread.
3. Transfer 2 pieces of the bread from the oven into the batter and soak both sides, about 30 seconds per side. Meanwhile, melt 2 more tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, swirling to coat the pan.
4. Remove the bread from the batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into the dish, and lay it in the hot skillet. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 1/2 minutes per side.
5. Transfer the French toast to the wire rack and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining butter, bread, and batter. Serve with warm maple syrup and a pat of butter…because you can never have too much buttah when you’re already basically eating dessert for breakfast. 

I heart Banana Cake. I don’t heart NYC.

Right after I became a Mrs., I packed up all my new kitchen gadgets and fine china and moved into a 450 sq. ft. studio in the middle of Manhattan with my brand spanking new husband.  It was quite the newlywed adventure.  I’m actually shocked that we didn’t kill each other in the first 4 months of marriage, considering the only place in the apartment where we couldn’t physically see each other was the bathroom.  I tried to love our NYC adventure, but after living in Chicago for the past 3 years, the Big Apple just didn’t stack up.  Visiting NYC is one thing, but when I lived there, the fabulous shopping and bustling of the city lost it’s magic and I just couldn’t get past the garbage piles (Thank you Jesus for alleys in Chicago) and unrelenting city noise heard at all hours.  I’m a city girl, but clearly not a New York City girl.  Thankfully four months later we moved back to Chicago, where our living space more than quadrupled (for the same amount in rent as our NYC one room palace), and I haven’t missed NYC since.  

Well, that’s kinda a lie…I did miss two things about NYC and two things only: 1.) Pinkberry, and 2.) A slice of Banana Cake from Billy’s Bakery in Chelsea.  And as of today, those two things aren’t really missed anymore because I’ve found acceptable Chicago replacements…and those replacements don’t involve smelly garbage piles or cabs honking outside my bedroom window at 4am, so they might even be better than the originals.  My Pinkberry fix was an easy cure when a Berry Chill shop opened up 2 blocks from my office in Chicago.  I even have my own Berry Chill companion at work….and we may or may not have enjoyed our favorite frozen treat in the middle of February…in 30 degree weather.  

Now, the Banana Cake fix was much harder to satisfy.  It’s not a popular cake flavor, so I’ve only found a couple Chicago bakeries that carry it and I have yet to be impressed.  Most were dry and lacking in bananananaey flavor.  Plus, I have an extremely picky palate when it comes to Cream Cheese Frosting, so I just didn’t think my own recipe could be beat.  Then it dawned on me…forget the bakeries, make your own stinking Banana Cake!  I did a lot of research…scouring cookbooks, online recipe sites, and baking forums to combine the best practices of Banana Cake making and baking….and in the end, I’m pretty sure my Banana Cake puts Billy’s to shame.  The baking method sure is strange and I was skeptical, but the result was one of the moistest, most flavorful cakes I’ve ever made.  And the masses agree…I thought Banana Cake luvahs were few and far between so I wasn’t sure how this cake would go over with my ravenous co-workers.  Well, it was devoured in record time compared to previous baked goods that I’ve brought in, so I think I’ll be keeping this one in the rotation.  Looking back, I guess I’ll always have to be somewhat thankful for garbage piles, sirens at 4am, and 450 sq. ft apartments because without them, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with Banana Cake and made an even better one in my quiet, clean, spacious Chicago home. 

P.S. – This recipe works great as both layer cakes and cupcakes…don’t worry, I conducted my own thorough taste tests on both so I could report back to you with the results.  It’s tough work being a food blogger. 

 

 

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake Batter:

• 2 cups Mashed Bananas (the browner, the better!)
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
• 3 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1 1/8 cup White Sugar
• 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Butter, softened
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp. Vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream

 Cream Cheese frosting:

• 1 1/2 pounds Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 1 pound Butter, room temperature
• 2 pounds Powdered Sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract

 

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  (I know it’s low, but trust me here!)  Grease and flour two 9-inch pans or line cupcake pans with liners. (or if you’re me, make both a 3 layer cake AND cupcakes)
2. In a small bowl, mash the bananas and add the cinnamon and nutmeg.  Stir to combine and set aside. 
3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together.  Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and white/brown sugar together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and oil. 
5. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk and sour cream.  Fold the banana mixture into the batter, then divide evenly between the pans. 
6. Bake at 275 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours for 9 inch cakes or 30-40 minutes for cupcakes.  Remove from the oven and place directly in the freezer for 45 minutes.  (Do you like moist, delicious cake?  Then do it.)
7. For the cream cheese frosting: Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. The frosting can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator up to a week (very dangerous for frosting addicts like myself). Frost cooled cakes with the cream cheese frosting.